mafew129
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by mafew129 on Apr 1, 2009 17:25:05 GMT -5
I've never wound my own pickups before but now i have access to a pickup winding machine. I have a Mexican strat with the standard pickups in them. I was thinking about replacing one of the pickups with one I wound myself.
Is it worth it to do this? In anyone's experience, are homemade pups better than the stock ones in a Mexican strat?
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Post by cynical1 on Apr 1, 2009 19:41:03 GMT -5
Well, if it's for the experience and saying you've done it, then go for it.
If it's to achieve a completely different sound then you'll get from aftermarkets, then sure, go for it.
If it's to get a custom pickup for cheaper then you can buy it...well...these are deep waters. Overwinding can produce mud, underwinding can produce vapor...
About 30 years ago I knew a guy who'd re-wind your pickups for you to whatever spec or tone you were after. By the time I met him he'd been doing it for over 10 years. He got into it as part of his rehab after he got out of the service. I asked him if it was tough to learn...he said, "No, after the first 500 it gets easier...after 1000 you start getting good at it..."
Do your homework on this before you start. There's a lot of information out there on magnets, pole pieces, bases, wire type and gauge. Read all of it twice before you start. This is as much about feel and technique as it is about physics.
Let us know how it works out if you wind a set.
Happy Trails
Cynical One
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mafew129
Rookie Solder Flinger
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
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Post by mafew129 on Apr 2, 2009 0:54:22 GMT -5
ok. i have a stewar-MacDonald set. does anyone know if those are good?
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Post by ChrisK on Apr 2, 2009 19:00:48 GMT -5
For what?  You might have to be a tad more specific (i.e. which pickups, and what does "good" mean to you). |
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Post by cynical1 on Apr 2, 2009 19:18:38 GMT -5
If you're asking about the Stew-Mac DIY pickup parts, I've never used them. Generally, everything I've ever gotten from Stew-Mac has been good...pricey at times, but always first rate...so it's reasonable to assume these are good parts to start with. What you do with them is a different matter...
Happy Trails
Cynical One
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Post by lpf3 on Apr 2, 2009 20:19:19 GMT -5
mafew-
I have 2 of Stew-Mac's Golden Age HB's in a hollowbody archtop that I really like - nice full tone & they seem well made, FWIW .
I think winding your own pups would be mostly for the pride of doing so - you're really not gonna improve on the professional designer/builders your first time out .
-lpf3
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